Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-04-13
A RESPONSE TO LUCAS.
His Reply to Mr.. Davis Criticised and Hi
Arguments COmbatted.

arguments OOhlOatteus
CHARLESTON, April 10, 1887.
To The Editor Of the Register.
In your issue ofyesterday is a card from
Mr.. D. B. Lucas, in reply to "letter pub
lished in your paper of the 3lst ultimO,"
by H. G. Davis. Most of Mr.. Lucas card
consists of harmless platitudes and will,
therefore, be passed without comment.
But part of it is so absurd-a misconstruc-
ton of the facts-that it should not pass
without notice. Mr.. Lucas says:
"Mr. Davis boasts that Camden has
brought two or three millions of dollars
into the State which have been invested in
railroads and scattered among the people,
not only developing the State and its re-
sources but helping to pay the taxes Is
Mr. Davis aware that Notwithstanding this
immense accession Of wealth from railroad
enterprise, the unjust travel and freight
tax imposed upon our people by the en-
enlargement and cOnniyance of the Cam
den-Dayis dynasty diminished the real and
aggregate personal property IN this State
ten millions of dollars in seven years? If
Mr.. Davis is ignorant Of this fact, beg
leave to call his attention TO the following
extract from the last annual message OF
Gov. Jackson, as follows In my last
message / called the attention of the Legis-
lature to the fact that taxable values of
this State have not increased in proportion
to population, showing a loss of $40, OOO,-
900 in the aggregate value of both kinds Of
property in seven years, and this, too,
whilst our population is rapidly increasing
and of consequence adding largely to our
wealth.
''What becomes now of Mr.. Davis bril-
| liant but superficial laudatiOn of Mr.. Cam
den and himself, when he is confronted by
/ the stubborn fact that they have permitted
the Standard Oil Company and the rail
ways to diminish our property $40, 600, 900
in seven years.
With our newly fledged Senator comes a
new philosophy, which is, that in proper
| ton 10 the investment of capital in our
State for railroad building our people be-
come poorer by the "cOnniyance OF the
Camden-Dayis dynasty" to the extent OF
SO, 900, 600 in seven years. To prove this
assertion, Mr.. Lucas garbles an extract
from the last message Of Governor Jack
son, dated January IA, 1885, as follows
"In my last message (which was in Jan
uary, 1883, | called the attention of the
Legislature to the fact that taxable values
of this State have not increased in proper
ton to population, showing loss of $40,
900, 600 in the aggregate values of both
kinds Of property in seven years, and this,
too, whilst our population is rapidly in
GTeasing and Of consequence dddiRg largely
10 our lCedLh." The seven years referred
TO by Governor Jackson were the seven
years preceding 1882. This was before
Camden brought the "bOaSted" two or
three millions into the State and invested
il in railroads. So it will he readily seen
that this investment by Camden could not
have contributed to the impON erish-
ment of the people for the seven
| preceding years. The truth Is,
the purpose Governor Jackson had in
quoting in his message of 1885 the above
extract from his message of 1883 was to
draw a comparison between the admins
| tration of the tax laws under former adj
| ministTatiOns aud that of his own, and to
recommend to the Legislature such reform
in the tax laws as he deemed proper. The
| from his former message was to show that
although it was well known that property
and population were largely on the in
crease in the State, yet for the seven years
prior to 1888 the assessed value of proper
ty had dropped $4,000, 900; and if Mr..
Lucas had taken the trouble to read the
whole message from which he quoted, he
would have found that the Immense ~.
cession of wealth from railroad enter
prise" had not Impoverished the State,
and his new philosophy would have been
punctured in it's early infancy.
1.-The following extract is taken from the
same message of Gov. Jackson quoted
from by Mr.. Lucas.
"A full discussion before the people Of the
assessment question has been of much ser
vice in placing upon the books n large
amount of property liable to taxation,
which had heretofore escaped, although not
exempt by any law.
The following table shows such increase
in the personal property since the year
1881, and also the increase in real estate,
under the re-aSSeSSment act of 1852: